All of us at Lung Cancer Alliance, our Board, our advocates and the patients, families and caregivers we represent, extend our deepest sympathy to the wife and family of Paul Newman.

Mr. Newman was an icon of the American stage and film, loved by audiences around the world. He and his devoted and equally talented wife, Joanne Woodward, also changed the lives of people in the United States and around the world through their many philanthropic projects.

Two months ago reports began to appear in the press that Mr. Newman was undergoing treatment for lung cancer. Many of those reports referred to him a “former chain smoker” with all the insinuations inherent in that label.

Mr. Newman was first and foremost a great man and we mourn his passing.

Over 215,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and the majority will die within 12 months. More people die from lung cancer than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancers combined.

Over half of them are former smokers many of whom quit decades ago and did not even realize that they will always be at higher risk. Another 15% have never smoked at all. Yet, the stigma and the blame associated with lung cancer, and the small number of people who survive to fight this, have made lung cancer the least funded of the major cancers in federal research dollars per death.

Our commitment to all who have died and to all those families that have been hurt by this deadly disease is: We will change this.

Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness and changing health policy.